Social media information and everyday life in Malaysia

This thesis offers a detailed analysis of social media participation in Malaysia, an important middle income country in Southeast Asia that has been understudied in new media scholarship. Nuances in everyday social media information use are reported across socioeconomic and ethnic groups, referencing debates about differential practices and social inequality. The thesis contends that social media are inclusive because they are valued by a broad spectrum of groups; although social media are not necessarily information tools for conferring socioeconomic mobility. The study is based on a questionnaire of 400 Malay, Chinese, Indian and English speakers; and content analysis of Twitter.